This pretty little thing is marketed as a sports bra, intended mainly for yoga and other low impact activities. I'll be honest, I bought it with zero intention to use it as such. It mostly struck me as a beautiful, minimalist layering piece. But since it's technically a sports bra, I will review it in that context first.
If you want something to keep your girls strapped down tight, move along. The Teardrop is not what you're looking for. The band is comfortable -- not as snug as I would like, not terribly loose either, but definitely too loose to provide enough support for something like running.
The straps are ...quite long and not adjustable, which is unfortunate if you are not a 6ft tall supermodel or if your boobs happen to be high-set. The band sits lower than my IMF because there isn't really any way to adjust it to sit higher, so again, not the best for support. It doesn't affect comfort though, so I'm not terribly upset about it.
In the product description, Montiel makes it very clear that this is NOT supposed to be a compression bra, which is kind of funny because it is actually fairly squishing, imo. Almost as much as my 32A Under Armour sports bra. In other words, it's not terribly flattering from the side. It does come with a thin set of pads, which appear to be primarily for hiding nipples. I am not wearing the pads in my pictures but the bra looks pretty much the same with them inserted.
All that being said, I'm still glad I bought it because support be damned, it's SO PRETTY! As far as I'm concerned, it's a strappy bralette made out of strangely thick but still breathable material. Unlike regular halter bras/bralettes, this thing doesn't put a ton of strain on my neck, which I appreciate. Interestingly, it doesn't ride up either. Layers well under open or sheer back tops and the double straps also look cute from the front. Comfortable enough to sleep in (if you really wanted to).
I haven't washed it yet*, but the care instructions claim this thing will survive the dryer. I intend to air-dry it, just in case, because it was a little on the pricy side.
TL;DR: not a good sports bra* and definitely not for big heavy boobs that need iron support. Would recommend to anyone looking for a comfy and simple strappy bra.
*2016 April update: I've been going to the climbing wall regularly since February and this is now my favourite bra to wear for bouldering. I have to revoke my previous comment that this is not a good sports bra -- it's by far the most comfortable thing to wear for low impact sports. It has also survived the laundry just fine so far, being machine-washed with cold water and left to air-dry (which it does quickly).
*2016 August update: Having now acquired the Thalia bra from the same brand, the Teardrop is no longer my favourite low impact sports bra because Thalia fits better. The coverage is higher and the cups seem to have more stretch which translates to more room and less squishing. I still wear this one lots but it's not as good of a fit. I do spill out slightly if I scoop and swoop very thoroughly -- not sure if this happened before without me noticing or if my boobs got slightly bigger. Read more 461 more words
This is beautiful & would never ever remotely fit me in any size lol. Small band big cup problems.
lol yeah, it's not something to buy for the fit. it doesn't even fit ME that well (by Bratabase standards) and I'm pretty sure I'm in the target demographic as far as boob size is concerned. but... so pretty!
I sold my old white Teardrop bra to moriko but am regretting that now. I ordered a new one in black, but the material isn't the same at all. I haven't tried it on yet (will do tomorrow), but my first impression is disappointing.
This one is made of 79% recycled polyester (21% spandex) instead of 90% Supplex nylon (10% Lycra spandex). It's good that it's recycled but it feels slick instead of soft and is much thinner than the old one I got in 2016. The straps are a different elastic - skimpier and stretchier. The "teardrop" shape where the double straps meet in front looks like it ...was more sloppily made, because the base of the straps aren't equal in size and the fabric puckers a bit. The label still says "made in USA" but it definitely wasn't made the same way.
Edit 1: I contacted Montiel and they said the black one is the only one that is made with different fabric. They changed it a few years ago because supposedly black Supplex was "too coarse". All other colours are still made out of Supplex/Lycra.
Edit 2: The fit is pretty similar to the white one except the straps seem to be noticably shorter and dig into my neck more. it's not a dealbreaker, but it's definitely less comfortable. It still looks beautiful though. Read more 117 more words
This bra would fit other than that shoulder straps are too tight on me. I would be able to do jumping jacks in these if I wanted. The material is nice and have pockets for pads. Very full coverage.
I couldn't even pull this over my head, so I can not say how this fits. But the material does pill with wear as I got this used and it does have some pilling from darker clothing. The band seems very firm and not stretched out at all. So would be a good investment if you get your size right.
I got hooked on bouldering in late February when my boyfriend convinced me to try it and I've been going to the climbing wall about twice a week regularly since then. The XS - Montiel » Teardrop Bra (M-5000) has been my favourite thing to wear for this purpose so I decided to place another order for the Thalia bra, thinking they would be a very similar fit. They're not: I like this one way better. It has significantly higher coverage in the front, as well as a tad more room in the cups. The straps are shorter so the band actually sits right in my ...IMF. Overall, it's a much better fit for me. It actually covers most of my (tall rooted) boob tissue, unlike the Teardrop which just barely covers my nipples and threatens to spill my boobs out the top if I scoop and swoop too vigorously. Super comfy, doesn't even require the occasional adjustment -- I just completely forget I'm wearing it. The bottom doesn't seem to fold either, which the Teardrop occasionally does. I wore it bouldering today and it is definitely my absolute favourite low impact sports bra now. I'll be using it for yoga too for sure, but absolutely not for running. The back is cute and matches everything. A Montiel size XS fits exactly like a Lululemon size 4 (true for both bras and leggings), in case that's helpful to anyone. Quality seems extremely similar but I prefer Montiel because it's made in the USA. Read more 146 more words
I impulse bought this immediately when I saw it. I have the XS - Montiel » Thalia Bra and the XS - Montiel » Teardrop Bra (M-5000) , both of which I love to wear for climbing and yoga. This just arrived in the mail so I have yet to test it out thoroughly, but my initial first impression is... slightly disappointed. The Teardrop (which is the first Montiel bra I purchased) is made of Supplex nylon and Lycra spandex. The Thalia (second one I purchased, definitely my favourite) is made of (presumably generic?) nylon and spandex. The Trixy one here is made ...of a polyester spandex blend instead and it certainly smells like it.* I don't know what the change is for but the polyester smell really throws me off. It's still made in the USA like the other two and the fabric looks pretty much the same. One of the included optional pads arrived with a fold down the middle because someone had stuffed it into the bra carelessly. This is also a very minor issue but still leaves a bit of a poor impression. Another (again, minor) gripe is that the elastic on the middle strap is exposed (see picture) which is not visible when wearing it but still annoys me because it makes the stitching look half-assed from the inside. As for fit, it feels very similar to the Thalia bra, mainly because the X straps are what's actually holding the bra up. The T strap is just slightly too loose so it doesn't add any support and is purely decorative. It lies flat when I have my arms down but crumples and lifts if I raise my arms. This really doesn't affect fit and it's probably going to look fine while moving (update: it doesn't). The X and T straps are not attached to each other so they may slide around a bit and not look completely symmetrical. Most of these issues are nitpicky little things. Trixy has a more complicated strap design than any of their other models so I imagine it's more difficult to get all the details just right. It's actually just as comfortable as the Thalia and it does look very nice from the back. Hopefully the polyester smell will fade when washed (*update: it did), but I hope that they don't start making all of their bras out of this material. Read more 295 more words
This is beautiful & would never ever remotely fit me in any size lol. Small band big cup problems.